Golden Boy, written in 1937 (later made into a film with William Holden), is Joe Bonaparte’s (Nate Santana) story. Set in Depression era New York, Joe, a talented violinist and son of an Italian American immigrant chooses to be a boxer in his relentless search for the American Dream. Filled with gritty underworld characters and real family members (and, of course, the local socialists), Odets has the knack for presenting exact models of 1930’s frustrated lower class.
Read MoreAfter all these years – Chicago still packs a wallop. The slick, sassy, stylish and sophisticated Broadway musical that was remounted on 1996 from the original 1975 production (which ran for 936 performances. To date, Chicago’s 1996 production has played for more that 6, 800 performances on Broadway making it one of the longest runs in history. Audiences love this show and the opening night audience at the Bank of America Theatre gave it a rousing standing ovation – me included! It’s that good and it never gets stale.
Read MoreA Tale of Two Cities is set in Paris and London in 1775 during The Reign of Terror that swept through Paris that ignited the French Revolution that led to the downfall of the French aristocracy. We meet victims of both the aristocracy and the revolutionaries as many suffered the guillotine as social and political change swept France.
Read MoreThe folks at the Theatre at the Center have mounted a major country/folk revue of the iconic voice of Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003)- one of America’s greatest troubadours in Ring of Fire. Cash was considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century whose songs included cowboy, folk, gospel, country, rockability, rock n’ roll and pop music. From 1955 to his death at age 71 in 2003, Cash with his wife June Carter Cash, toured the country singing his heartfelt repertoire of pure Americana tunes. His distinct bass-baritone voice was his calling card.
Read More…how Wagnerian this music is (for the late Dvořák of the “New World” Symphony and the “American” Quartet, at any rate). However, even if many passages and harmonic turns here could seemingly have come straight from Tristan und Isolde, this music is more sweet and less decadent than Wagner can often be, and there are frequent interludes of Czech folk dance and folk song.
Read MoreFarilane Theatre Co. put on an effective production of Adam Rapp’s Red Light Winter. A modern look at sex, obsession, and friendship comes to life. Beautifully written characters make this story sensitive and dark. Early in the show, automatically we veer our sympathy toward Matt (Chris Martin with a stellar performance). On the opposing end is Davis (Bob Pantalone in an aggressive, strong performance). As tempers arise, the story and production stays engaging from beginning to end.
Read More…Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Short Shakespeare is a program that CST puts on to expose the younger audience of Chicago to the one and only, William Shakespeare. This version is cut down to 75 minutes. It engages with the children, makes them laugh, ask questions, and learn the fine art.
Read MoreJohn and M agree to have John bring W to their place for dinner so the three con settle this problem. As the battle for John erupts, M and W have many funny quips as the two ‘bitch battle.’ But when M brings his father F (Larry Neuman,Jr.) in as a reinforcement, the tug of war only increases John indecision. Can one love two people at once with one a man and the other a woman?
Read MoreDirector Peter Marston Sullivan has created the proper passionate tone to highlight Peter Shaffer’s fictional account of Antonio Salieri’s relationship with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The result is Amadeus, a rivetingly emotional gem.
Anchored by the in depth and glib work of Steve O’ Connell as Antonio Saleri and Chris Ballou as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Amadeus brings us into the fascinating world of Mozart as he strives for fortune and fame in Vienna at the court of Hapsburg Austrian Emperor Joseph II (David Tibble) in the late 1780’s.
Read MoreIn its finest moments, Buzzer deals with interracial relationships, white fear of black men on street corners as well as interpersonal trust. We see the struggles of addiction and how that effects the trust of those close to the addict. We also get a glimpse into how gentrification causes class problems as the poor resent the wealth whites and how those folks fear the street folks.
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